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Kalen DeBoer is probably going to want to stay in his office a bit more than usual this upcoming week.
Alabama hasn’t looked the same since the first half of the Georgia game. The Crimson Tide lost as the No. 1 team in the country to Vanderbilt on the road 2 weeks ago. They almost lost to South Carolina at home last week. They lost Saturday night, 24-17, to Tennessee in Knoxville.
DeBoer’s Alabama record now stands at 5-2.
For the first time since 2007, Alabama will take multiple losses into the month of November. That was Nick Saban’s first season.
Alabama turned it over twice at Tennessee. A fourth-and-7 in the final 2 minutes of the game turned into a fourth-and-22 after Kendrick Law was flagged for a brutal personal foul penalty. Alabama got one final chance to drive for a game-tying score with 1:30 to play in the game, but quarterback Jalen Milroe was picked off twice.
After weeks of defensive struggles, Alabama’s offense was the one that broke late. And that will lead to plenty of questions of DeBoer.
That there were already questions about DeBoer’s tenure prior to Saturday doesn’t bode well for his seat going forward. Saban was asked how much time he thought DeBoer would get during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show on Friday.
“I can’t make any predictions about the future in terms of what people’s patience will be. They don’t have a lot of patience at Alabama. They have high expectations. You can’t get caught up in that,” Saban told McAfee. “You’ve got to focus on what you’ve got to do to make the team plays as well as you can, and don’t let any of that stuff affect you.”
That will be extra important during the week ahead.
DeBoer didn’t forget how to coach. He was a multi-time NAIA champion before jumping to the FBS level. He won 9 games with Fresno State in 2021. He lost just 3 games in 2 years at Washington. He has 2 losses in his first 7 at Alabama.
The honeymoon period is officially over.
I’m shocked to see the lack of discipline this Alabama program continues to display each week. Outside of losing, Kalen DeBoer needs to get a grip on things before that Bama fan base runs him out of town!
— Cardale Jones (@CJ1two) October 19, 2024
No other way around it, this is a poorly coached team. DeBoer has been spectacular everywhere but it is not translating to Alabama yet. Very poorly coached.
— Ryan Brown (@RyanBrownLive) October 19, 2024
The Kalen DeBoer era at Alabama is not long for this world
— Red Cup Kentucky (@KentuckyRedCup) October 19, 2024
Questions need to be asked about DeBoer
— College Football Report (@CFBRep) October 19, 2024
The more I watch Alabama the more I believe Saban had to have helped Deboer coach the team during the week heading into the Georgia game. Not even close to the same team.
— Jeff Clark (@RealJeffClark) October 19, 2024
Kalen DeBoer in the SEC
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) October 19, 2024
Kalen DeBoer destroying what Nick Saban built at Alabama in just 7 games is damn impressive.
— Brandon Walker (@BFW) October 19, 2024
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
